Apparatus for casting and heating ingots.



No. 627,835., Patented June 27, I899.

s. T. & c. H. WELLMAN. v

APPARATUS FOR CASTING AND HEATING INGUTS.

(Application filed Feb. 23, 1897.),

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Nu. 627,835. 7 Patented June 27, I899.

' s. T. & c. H. WELLMAN.

APPARATUS FDR-CASTING AND HEATING INGOTS.

(Application filedTeb. 28, 1897.) (No Modal.) v 2 Sheets$heat 2.

MTNE SEE UNITED STATES P TENT EEICE.

SAMUEL r. WELLMAN AND CHARLES H. WELLMAN, OF CLEVELAND, orno, ASSIGNORSTO THE WELLMAN-SEAVER ENGINEERING coMPANY, or

SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING AND HEATING INGOTS.

srE'cIEIoATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,835, dated June27, '1 see-.- Application filed February 23,1897. Serial No. 624,561. onmodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL 'I.WELLMAN and CHARLES H. WELLMAN, citizensof the United States, and residents of Cleveland,

county of Ouyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Iinprove-.

ments in Apparatus for Casting and Heating Ingots, of which thefollowing is a specification, the principle of the invention being toherein explained and the best mode in which we have contemplatedapplying that principle so as to distinguish it from other inventions. A

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detailcertain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting but one of various mechanical forms in which the principleof the invention maybe used. In said annexed drawings, Figure Irepresents a plan of our improved steel plant.

Fig. II represents a side elevation of the heat:

heating-furnace O. Thetrack before enter-j ing the said furnace drops onan incline for a short distance, and upon emerging therefrom it' risesto 1ts original level. This depressed portion is kept filled with waterby 0 suitable water connections.

A traverser D, carrying a tilting or other suitable ladle d, which maybe filled from the furnaces A, runs over the said track B.

Mold-buggies E run upon the track B and 5 carry the ingot-molds e, whichare filled from the ladle d.

L A mold-stripper F is suitably located'over track B and is adapted tostrip the molds from the ingots, leaving them bare upon the bug- 5og-ies before entering the heating-furnace.

The buggies E are provided with a fire-brick stool f, of somewhat largersurface dimensions than the base of the ingots. The molds are 7 soplaced that the stool f receives all of the hot-metal contact from theingotand is soon 5 5 heated to a high degree. The ingots are thereforenot chilled upon being cast thereon and are thus much more evenly heatedin the furnace than would be the case if the ingot were cast upon asubstance having a lower degree of temperature. The fire-brick, beingoflow conductivity and having a high degree of specific heat, retainsits temperature, and' once having been heated it is always ready and hotfor the next casting. The fire-brick is easily removable and can onburning out be easily replaced or repaired. The buggies arefurtherformed with flanges f, adapted to center the mold and thus secure theproper relative position of the ingot and the stool f. Overlapping sidesf extend over the wheels of the buggy-truckand are cut off squarely atthe front and rear, extending downwardly to within a short distance ofthe road-bed.

The ends of the sides are adapted to close upon and fit against theadjacent end of the next buggy, as is shown in Fig. III. These sidesextend into the water, filling the depression, and thus protect thetrucks of the buggies from destruction by the heat of the fur- 8o nace.The buggies may be constructed to accommodate any required number ofingots.

. Those re resented in the drawin s carr two.

The furnace O is constructed in the form of an elongated'chamber linedwith a fire-brick lining 0 built upon the wall in the usual of the topof the buggy is thus exposed. An

air-passage c is provided between the arch of the flue or chamber andthe covering c -1oo through which air admitted into the forward endpasses over the heated arch, becomes heated and enters thecombustion-chamber 0 where it mingles with gas from the gas-flue 0leading from a suitable producer. The hearth of the combustion-chamberis raised above the bottom or rail-bed of the furnace, and the trackpasses out of the chamber beneath the said hearth. The height from thetop of the rails-that is, from the base of the transporting-cars to thelower surface of the hearth above the cars when passing beneath thehearthis less than the height from said base to the 'top or highestpoint of the ingot while being transported upon'said cars. The cars whenunloaded may hence pass out beneath the combustion-chamber. A door c isprovided in the top of the furnace just beyond the end of the bottom ofthe combustionchamber, through which the ingots may be lifted from thebuggies. Suitable doors 0 are also provided for the admission and exitof the buggies.

A suitable mechanism is provided at the entrance of the furnace forproperly moving the cars through the furnace.

The operation of the plant is as follows: The molten metal is run intothe ladle cl, suspended over the track B, from which it is poured intothe molds e, standing on the buggies E, or is poured directly intomolds. After the metal is sufficiently set the buggies are run under thestripper F, where the molds are stripped, leaving the ingots bare. Theyare thereupon'run into the furnace, through which they travel slowly andbecome gradually heated until they reach the end of the furnace beneaththe unloading door cflwhence they are removed and are ready for therolls.

The furnace may also be used for reheating cold ingots.

The action of the furnace in the case of the introduction of cold ingotsfor reheating is somewhat different from the action in the case of thehot ingots right from the molds, the action in each case being salutary.

In the case of cold ingots the heat is brought up gradually by means ofthe progression of the ingot from the coolest end of the furnace to thehottest, thereby avoiding the contingency of melting off the outsidewhile the inside is cold,which occurs in the usual method of placing thecold ingot directly into the heating-furnace and subjecting itimmediately to the extreme temperature, so that by my improved means theingot is heated up evenly and to nearly the required heat before beingsubjected to the final temperature.

In the case of hot ingots the molds are stripped off as soon as theouter metal is sufficiently set, which leaves the inside of the ingot ina liquid state. By introducing the ingot in this manner into the coolestend of our furnace the molten metal is given a chance to set, and theoutside and inside gradually reach the same temperature from differentdirections. Meanwhile, however, the ingot has been progressing into thefurnace, so that when it reaches the end of its travel it also is in ahomogeneous evenly-heated condition, a condition, as is well known,appreciated by the steel-worker. Each buggy then constitutes one of acontinuous train, which gradually on removal of one of the buggies atthe exit progresses, the empty buggies being returned for repeated useon the track B, connected by a suitable switch I) with track B.

The entire operation of casting and reheating the mechanism hereindisclosed, provided the means covered by any one of the following claimsbe employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as ourinvention-- l. The combination of apparatus for producing molten metal,a car-track adjacent to said apparatus, a car adapted to run upon saidtrack, means for casting ingots upon said car, a heatingfurnaceembracing a portion of said track, said portion being depressed belowthe level of the track located without said furnace, water covering saiddepressed portion, said car adapted to travel through saidheating-furnace, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of apparatus for producing molten metal, a car-trackadjacent to said apparatus, a second track adjacent to said first trackand suitably connected therewith, a car adapted to travel upon saidtracks, means for casting ingots upon said car, a heating-furnaceembracing a portion of said first track, said portion being depressedbelow the level of the track without said furnace, Water covering saiddepressed portion, said car adapted to travel through saidheating-furnace, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of apparatus for producing molten metal, a car-trackadjacent to said apparatus, a car adapted to travel upon said tra ck,aheating-furnace embracinga portion of said track, said embraced portionbeing depressed below the level of the track without said furnace,waterin said depressed portion,and means adapted to gradually move saidcar through said furnace, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of apparatus for producing molten metal, a car-trackadjacent to said apparatus, a car adapted to travel upon said track, anelongated heating-furnace embracing a portion of said track, saidembraced portion being depressed below the level of the track locatedwithout said furnace, water in said depressed portion, saidheating-furnace provided with a hot and a cool end, and means adapted toadvance said car gradually from said cool tosaid hot end, substantiallyas set forth.

5. The combination of apparatus for producing molten metal, a car-trackadjacent to said apparatus, a car adapted to travel upon said track andadapted to carry an ingot-mold, means for casting met-a1 into said mold,a heating-furnace for receiving said car and ingot upon the latter, saidfurnace embracing a portion of said track, said portion depressed belowthe level of the track locatedwithout the furnace, Water in saiddepression, and means for stripping the molds from the ingot and carbefore the latter enters the furnace, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of apparatus for producing molten metal, a car-trackadjacent to said apparatus, a car adapted to run upon said track, meansfor casting ingots upon said car, a heating-furnace embracing a portionof said track, said portion being depressed below the level of the tracklocated without said furnace, Water covering said depressed portion,said car adapted to travel through said furnace, and means for unloadingsaid cars before their exit from the said furnace, sub stantially as setforth.

7. The combination of a heating-furnace having a combustionmhamber atone end,

- means for transporting ingots from the other end through the furnace,said means passing out beneath said combustion-chamber, and I I meansfor unloading said transporting means before leaving the furnace,substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a car-track, a heating-furnace embracing saidtrack and consist-. ing of a heatin g-chamber provided with acombustion-chamber at one end, said track passing out of the furnacebeneath said combustion-chamber,a car adapted to run through saidchamber upon said track, means for movingsaid car from the opposite endof the chamber toward the combustion-chamber,and means for unloadingsaid car intermediately of said opposite end and of the saidcombustion-chamber, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing to .be our invention Wehereunto set our hands this 3d day of February, 1897.

SAMUEL 'r. WELLMAN.

CHARLES H. WELLMAN.

